UT to host exhibition by local high school art teachers

Ask any fine artist about their process and they will probably tell you that making each piece is a learning experience. That may be especially true for the artists involved in the University of Toledo’s latest exhibition, the Northwest Ohio High School Art Teachers Invitational. The exhibit is set to open in the Center for Visual Arts (CVA) Gallery on Nov. 15.

A work by teacher Kristin Kowalski of Maumee Valley Country Day School. Photo courtesy University of Toledo

The exhibit, which is a first for UT, was organized around the Ohio Art Education Association Conference. The conference is in Toledo from Nov. 14-16.

“We started planning this exhibit back in the spring,” said CVA Gallery Director Ben Pond. “This is something we went ahead with for a variety of reasons, the first of which is recruiting; we get to know a lot of teachers and students at the high school level and get them interested in our programs this way, but also we just felt like there should be more opportunities for the people that teach our children to be recognized, not only as educators, but as artists.

“I myself would just love the public to have the opportunity to get to know them as members of our fine arts community, which maybe they haven’t before. We put out a call to artist educators that we knew were working and eliminated certain pieces mostly based on space concerns. We could’ve shown one piece by each artist, but instead opted to include somewhere between 45-50 pieces in the show to offer a variety of work and it’s all so strong and compelling. This is something we’d like to be able to do on a bi-annual basis.”

The exhibit runs through Dec. 14 and is free and open to the public. Opening reception hours are 6-8 p.m. Nov. 15.

“This exhibit is very wide-ranging, very contemporary, it offers not only beautiful paintings but also pottery, etchings, book art —it has something for everyone, no matter what your creative tastes.”